Bulandshahr violence: Uttar Pradesh Police arrest main accused in cow slaughter case, seize licensed revolver

Bulandshahr: The Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday arrested the main accused of the 3 December cow slaughter incident, which later triggered violence in the district claiming two lives, including that of a cop. The accused identified as Haroon was apprehended along with a licensed revolver. [caption id=“attachment_5810701” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Uttar Pradesh Police personnel. AFP[/caption] The development comes a day after BJP legislator Devendra Singh Lodhi stirred controversy by claiming that cop Subodh Kumar killed in Bulandshahr violence had “shot himself after he became hopeless.” In an exclusive conversation with ANI, Singh made the appalling remark and said, “He became hopeless and shot himself in haste while trying to save himself. He was not targeted. It was a mob that got aggressive as the police were not filing an FIR. " On 3 December, sub-inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a youth named Sumit died in the violence which erupted after the carcasses of 25 cattle were found in forests close to a police post. Inspector Singh, who was trying to control the wild mob, was wounded in the head with a stone. As his driver bundled him into his SUV and tried to take him to the hospital, the mob followed the car, cornered it in a field and shot the police officer. Singh died of a bullet wound below his left eyebrow, the autopsy report confirmed. As many as 25 accused have been arrested in connection with the violence that took place in the town earlier this month. The arrested individuals included army man Jitendra Malik, alias Jeetu Fauji. Malik, however, had pleaded his innocence in the matter and said he has been framed. On 19 December, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had said that the Bulandshahr violence was a conspiracy by those who have lost political ground and want to communalise the atmosphere.